A Walk To Remember
by Deena G
Summary: Rory runs into Tristin at Barnes & Noble...everything goes from there
1. A Lot to Learn

TITLE: A Walk to Remember  
AUTHOR: Deena G  
PAIRING: R/T maybe...  
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters belong to me, except for Christina and Crystal.  
  
Chapter One  
A Lot to Learn  
  
This summer has been great. It's August and I have yet to run into someone from Chilton. So right now I am sitting in Barnes & Nobles sipping a café mocha blend reading A Walk to Remember. It's a book about this 17 year old guy named Landon Carter in 1958. He's a tad bit on the shallow side and just hangs out with his friends and tries to forget about growing-up and being an adult. And so far he's gotten stuck in being the lead in the Christmas play with the town "goodie-two shoes", Jamie Sullivan. Jamie's overly religious (she's the minister's daughter), but she's nice and cheerful. Well anyway that's where I am. But Landon's falls in love with Jamie in the book. It's such a good book! Well, so far anyway. Mom wants to see the movie, so typical of her. She doesn't want to read the book, yet she tells me to.  
"Rory?"  
I looked up it was Tristin. "Hey Tristin."  
"What are you doing here?"  
"Um, reading?"  
"I mean here in Hartford. I assumed you'd be in Stars Hollow. Stars Hollow, right?"  
"Yeah, it's Stars Hollow. I just wanted to come here I guess."  
"What are you reading?"   
"A Walk to Remember. What about you?"  
Tristin holds up his book.  
"Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass. You like poetry?"  
"I guess you could call it an obsession." Tristin smiled. "An obsession that no one knows about."  
"Ah, got it. It'll be our little secret." I grinned and winked.  
"So, A Walk to Remember, what's that about?" Tristin sat down on the arm of my chair.  
"This guy he's shallow and doesn't want to grow up and have all these adult problems so he hangs out with his friends. Then he gets the part in the Christmas play with the "goodie-two shoes" in town, Jamie Sullivan. Anyway, they fall in love."  
"Sounds good." Tristin nodded. "Sounds a lot like my life."  
"What do you mean? You're saying you don't like all those superficial girls and like the quiet ones?" I raised my eyebrow.  
"Something like that. Not really quiet but original and different."  
"Who?"  
"Hey, hey, hey. I don't tell my friends who I like, let alone people who say they hate me. I don't tell anyone who I like."  
I blushed. "I, I don't hate you."  
Tristin didn't say anything for a minute, I guess he was taking everything in. He sighed, "You told Dean that."  
"Well...we broke up."  
"Oh, sorry."  
"It's okay, so how many girlfriends have you gone through this summer?"  
"This might surprise you but none."  
"Really?"  
"Yup, got that one girl on my mind and she won't budge."  
"Why don't you ask her out?"  
"I don't think that's a good idea. I told you you'd be surprised."  
"Oh. Yeah I was." There was some more silence. "So, do you write any poetry?"  
"Yeah, I do. That is something else you don't tell anyone."  
"Okay got it." I grinned as I set the empty coffee cup on the table. "So how's your summer been?" I turned to face him setting the book in my lap.  
"It's been okay. You?"  
"It's been great. How was the PJ Harvey concert?"  
"I thought it was okay. Christina loved it, she is now official obsessed over PJ Harvey."  
"I thought you said you didn't have any girlfriends this summer?"  
"I didn't." Tristin smirked. "Christina's my cousin. I took her to the concert because I thought she'd like a break from her home life."  
"That was nice. Do you mind me asking what's wrong at home?"  
"No, they don't mind, as long as it's not people that know her parents or are her age. Her parents are getting a divorce."  
"Oh, that must suck."  
"Yeah, to be fair I had to take her little sister, Crystal, to Beauty and the Beast on Broadway, she cried when we went to the concert."  
"How old are they?"  
"Tina's thirteen and Crystal is five. I watch them a lot, right now my mom taking them to go shopping. Crystal was really excited she usually doesn't go shopping with her mom. It's kind of weird, my parents spend a lot of time with them, I don't mind because I spend a lot of time with them. I'm not jealous if that's what you're thinking. It's just weird."  
I nodded. "Rough life for them, huh?"  
"Yeah, Tina watches her and they get sick each of other, their parents fight a lot. Tina and Crystal are basically spending their summer at my house. But they're the best. Tina she's really sweet and friendly, she can have her mean streaks though. Crystal she's the sweetest but she's so shy. I doubt she'd be shy around you."  
"I'd love to meet them."  
"Are you doing anything today?"  
"Nope, Lane's away at Korean Bible Camp."  
"Right, let me guess that's your best friend and Henry's pending girlfriend?"  
"Yeah, how'd you know?"  
"Well, we're friends and Henry keeps talking about her. So I asked him how they met and he said that you and Lane went to Madeline's party. Well, I knew you were there." Tristin blushed. "I have Henry talking in his sleep about Lane at camp, on tape."  
"Are you serious?" I squealed.   
"Yeah, I am."  
"You have to give me a copy!"  
"Okay." Tristin laughed. "If you want to met my cousins today, I can give it to you."  
"Of course, I want to meet your cousins and get a copy of the tape, of course." I grinned.  
"So any good places to eat in Stars Hollow?"  
"Luke's is good. The sign says Hardware though."  
"Okay. Is five okay?"  
"Yeah, that'd be great." I nodded, for a minute we just sat there.   
Tristin took a deep breath, "So, do you mind if I sit here and read?"  
"No, not at all, I'm doing the same."  
"Okay." Tristin sat in the chair across from me and began to read.   
Every once in awhile we would look up and look at each other and smile. Half and hour later I set the book down. "I'd better get going. I'll see you at five then?"  
"Yeah, at five."   
I smiled and hurried out of Barnes and Nobles to catch my bus. As I sat down I thought about what Tristin had said. I learned a lot about him during out conversation. He has two cousins who he obviously loves, is obsessed about poetry reading and writing it, he likes a girl that's different and original, who ever she is, is a friend of Henry's, knows about Lane being my best friend and going out with Henry and knows where I live. I think the most important thing I learned was that there's a lot to learn about Tristin DuGrey, a lot to learn.  



	2. Christina and Crystal

Chapter Two  
Christina and Crystal  
  
I smiled sipping my coffee Tristin bending down so the little girl could get on his back. The older girl smiled and said something. Tristin nodded his head and walked into Luke's. Tristin spots me easily because there's only a couple other people. "Hey, fancy meeting you here." I grinned.   
"I know. Do you live here?"  
"No, I wish I did, Luke has the best coffee."  
Tristin chuckled. "Didn't you have coffee earlier when I ran into you? Rory, these are my cousins Crystal and Christina. Crystal, Tina this is my friend Rory."  
"Hi Crystal." I waved to the shy girl. Her blue eyes were wide open. "Hey Christina." I said turning to Christina.  
"You didn't call me Crystal. Did he tell you about me?" Christina tilted her head up because her green bucket hat covered her eyes. She had green eyes, long eyelashes like Tristin's and long blonde hair. She was wearing a Gap sweatshirt and shorts. "Are you Triscuit's girlfriend?"  
"He mentioned that you're thirteen, that you guys are cousins and you like PJ Harvey. Nope, I am not his girlfriend. Triscuit huh? I'll have to tease him about that at school then the trail of girls following him will soon be nothing."   
Christina laughed and looked up at her cousin. "I like her, she's nice and funny."  
"I know." Tristin eyed Christina's hat. "Hey, hat off." Tristin pulled the bucket hat off Christina's head.  
"Hey!" Christina snatched back her hat. "What did you that for?" she asked putting the hat back on."  
"You promised you wouldn't wear it when we're eating."  
"We're not eating stupid."  
"Who are you calling stupid?"  
"You."  
"You are one evil cousin." Tristin teased shaking his head.  
"Thank you. You know where I get it?"  
"Where?"  
"You."  
"Me? Evil I don't think so."  
"I think so." I laughed.  
"I'm with Rory on that." Christina said standing next to me.  
"Two against one. Ha!"  
"She's pretty." A small voice added. I looked at Crystal and smiled.  
"You're pretty cute, yourself." I told Crystal.  
She giggled and buried her head into Tristin's shoulder. "Okay, I was wrong, she's still shy but not a lot." Tristin admitted. "Crystal, you have to get down if you want to eat." Tristin bent down so Crystal could get off and she was kneeling on the chair. Tristin said next to her. Christina and I sat on the other side.  
Luke came over when he saw that Tristin, Christina and Crystal were sitting with me. "Rory? Who's he?"  
"That's Tristin and his cousins Christina and Crystal. Guys this is Luke, he owns this place."  
"So, I hear your food is good." Tristin said.  
"And coffee." I added.   
Tristin rolled his eyes. "You have a problem, you know?"  
"I'm not that bad. Right Luke?" I grinned.  
"Compared to your mother you're not that bad...but it's just compared to your mother."  
"Thank you, Luke."  
"What would you like to eat?"  
"A cheeseburger and apple juice." Crystal whispers.  
Luke smiles at her.   
"The usual." I said.  
"I'll have a cheeseburger and a coke." Tristin said.  
"Hamburger and coffee." Christina said smiling at Tristin.  
"Make that a coke, Luke."  
"What? But I want coffee!"  
"No."  
"Please Tristin? I won't call you Triscuit anymore."  
"No, you will never stop calling me that."  
"Why can't I have coffee?"  
"Coffee stunts your growth."  
"Does not."  
"No coffee for her." Tristin told Luke.  
"Not a coffee lover?" Luke asked.  
"Have it with my breakfast sometimes, usually not though."  
"No coffee? I like this kid." Luke told me and went into the kitchen.  
"So, Luke is tough huh?"  
"Nah, he's a softy. He's like a big teddy bear. He's a big softy. I'll be right back." I got up and went to the counter. "Hey Luke."  
"No more coffee."  
"Please."  
"No."  
"You're turning into Tristin." I smirked.  
"Okay, fine. I wouldn't want to turn into Bible Boy." Luke poured coffee into my empty mug. "Are you going out with him?"  
"No." I shook my head. "I'm just having lunch with him. I ran into him at Barnes & Nobles this morning. He told me about his cousins and they sounded so cute I just had to meet them. "   
"I thought you said he was evil." He said nodding at Tristin. I turned around to look at them. Tristin was tickling Crystal."  
"I thought he was too. But I think who I met was the Chilton Tristin. I think that guy over there is the real Tristin. And since that is the real Tristin, I think I'll pay him a visit." I said getting off the stool and walked over to the table. "Hi." I said sitting down.  
"Hey." Tristin said.  
I handed Christina my mug. She eagerly accepted the offering. "Thanks."  
"No problem."  
"What are you doing?" Tristin asked  
"Letting Christina have some coffee."  
"She had coffee when we came here." Tristin shot Christina a look.  
"Okay, okay. Here Rory." Christina hands me the mug back. "It was good while it lasted."  
"So, does Tristin get on your nerves?" I asked  
"Oh yeah, tons. But I love him anyway." Christina smiled at Tristin.  
"Really, well I don't love you." Tristin joked.  
"Then you're a freak."  
"Did you call me a freak?"  
"Yup, just like I called you stupid. Doesn't that make you a stupid freak?" Christina smirked.  
"You see, that's what I was talking about. That is the mean streak Rory."  
"I don't think it's mean I just think you don't like being called a stupid freak by your younger cousin." I laughed.  



	3. Surprise

Chapter Three  
Surprise  
"So, you're telling me Paris fell flat on her face in front of the whole entire student body." I laughed.   
"Oh yeah, didn't she Tina?" Tristin asked.  
"How am I supposed to remember? Just because I was there doesn't mean I remember. I was in kindergarten!"  
"Well she did. And her skirt flew up so for the rest of the year every time we'd see her we'd go. 'I see London, I see Paris, France. I see Paris's underpants.' And she's just stand there as everyone sang."  
"You guys were so harsh when you were in second grade!" I said. "I would have loved to be there though."  
"She's really self-conscious now."  
"Doesn't seem like it."  
"Too bad it is."  
"Stupid freak."  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, that's harsh. We're talking evil, mean, unlike Rory stuff."  
"How would you know what's Rory like? As far as I know, you've really only talked to Mary." I smirked.  
"He calls you Mary?" Christina asked.   
"Yeah, it look him along time to learn my name." I shook my head.  
"Are you sure you're a Dugrey, Tristin?"  
"Yeah I am, besides that is the Tristin at school. And I quit calling you Mary after the whole getting hit by the deer thing." Tristin explained talking a sip from his coke.  
"Anything else happen to anyone that I'd like to know about besides Paris?"  
"Not really, no one else did something that we teased them for."  
"What about the time where yo-" Christina started but was stopped by a clatter. We turned to Crystal. Her plate had fallen on the ground. Crystal began to cry.   
"It's okay Crystal. You're not in trouble." Tristin said soothingly and got up with Crystal in his arms and walked outside.  
Luke came over and began cleaning up the half-eaten hamburger off the floor.  
"Sorry, Luke." I apologized.  
"Don't worry about it." Luke got up and walked away.  
"She dropped her plate once when we were having dinner at Tristin's house. My mom was yelling at her and my aunt told her it was okay because they were having the floors waxed again the next day but my mom kept yelling. She cried and Mom took her into the kitchen and we could still hear Mom yelling then all of a sudden Crystal cried even louder so Tristin and I think that my mom hit her. We're really careful of what we say when she drops things." Christina explained.  
"Oh." I said watching Tristin walk back and forth in front of Luke's stroking Crystal's hair. "You guys are like night and day, huh? You and Christina."  
"Yeah, when I was little I wasn't really shy and quiet. I was very energetic and I would run around the house...well in my room."  
"But Tristin said she wasn't shy around people she knows."  
"She isn't. It's really hard to explain. "  
"Oh, okay." I drank the last of my coffee and got up. "Come on, let's go I know how to cheer up your sister." Christina followed me to the counter. "Luke!"  
"It's on the house."  
"Really?"  
"Really."  
"Thanks." I turned to Christina. "I told you he was a softy."  
Christina grinned.  
"I heard that. I count to three and you have to pay."  
"Come on." I grabbed Christina's arm and hurried out the door. "Crystal, I got a surprise for you. Come on." I smiled at the little girl.  
"Really?" Crystal's blue eyes glittered in the sunlight.  
"Really."  
"Where are we going?"  
"It's a surprise." I grinned. "I think you're going to like it."  



	4. Unique

  
Chapter Four  
Unique  
"So, here we are." I gestured towards the giant playground. Tons of kids were running around laughing and playing.   
"Whoa, nice park." Christina commented.  
Tristin let Crystal down and she hurried down the path to the giant wooden play structure.   
"For someone quiet and shy, she's got a lot of energy." I said.  
"You have no idea." Christina shook her head and headed towards the swings.  
"Twistin! Rory!" a voice called. Crystal was at the top of the play structure waving her hands around frantically. Tristin and I waved back.   
"Okay, she has a lot of energy and for someone quiet and shy she can be really loud."  
Tristin chuckled, "Yes she can."  
"So, you're called an assortment of names at home I assume, there's Tristin, Triscuit and Twistin. Anything else I left out?"  
"No."  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yes."  
"Positive?"  
"Yes."  
I gave Tristin a suspicious look. " You're not lying."  
"No, why would I lie to you?"  
"Because you would."  
"Have I ever lied?"  
"Yeah, you told Paris I was going to the PJ Harvey concert with you."  
"But I didn't think...I thought..."  
"You thought I was going to go to the concert with you."  
"Yeah. Sorry. She knows we didn't go."  
"You told her?"  
"She asked if I was still going out with you and I told her we didn't go the concert together and I took Christina...they were at the country club with me. She walked away muttering something about Louise and not her not covering music."  
"Looks like I won't be talking about the parking lot landscaping."  
"I did that?"  
"Yep."  
"Sorry."  
"Apology accepted." I sat down at an empty bench.  
"So...what's with the people and the cell phones?" Tristin pointed to Miss Patty and Kirk.  
"Oh that, that's normal. They're gossiping about you."  
"That's normal?"  
"They always gossip about new people and since you're with me there's more gossip." I paused. "They always gossip doesn't have to be about new people, since I'm not new."  
"Right."  
I scanned the park. Crystal had now moved from the play structure to the sandbox. She was standing in the middle of the sandbox tossing sand in the air. Christina was sitting at the swings and a few kids her age had slowly made their way towards Christina. "So, is Christina one of those people people?"  
"People people?"  
"Is Christina a people person?"  
"Yeah, I guess she is. Do you know the people by Tina?"  
"Yeah, the dark haired guy is Howie, he's really sweet and nice, I used to baby-sit him. The blonde guy is Adam, he's kind of weird. The brunette is Jessica, she's the person that stands out in the group, the one that's unique. Earlier this summer she had green streaks in her hair. And that other girl the blonde is Lily. She's a bit of a know-it-all...in a gossipy girly way." I pointed to each of the teenagers.  
"A original group then."  
"Yeah, at the least." I nodded my head in agreement. "They're all nice though."   
"Did you baby-sit them all?"  
"Just Howie and Jessica."  
"Funny, Howie's like you but then Jessica's not." Tristin chuckled.  
"What?" I propped my head in my head and my elbows were on my knees.  
"You said Howie is really sweet and nice like you and Jessica stands out, she's unique. I'm not saying you're not unique, you are just not like Jessica."  
"R-i-g-h-t." I looked Tristin in the eye and raised my eyebrow. "How unique am I?"  
"Probably the most unique person that has ever walked through the doors of Chilton."  
"Really?"  
"Probably not that has ever walked through the doors...but the most unique person in our grade. You stand out, too. I think you're the only person to ever yell at Paris. And you did it more than once. I also believe you're the only girl that has ever turned me down, twice. But I like ya anyway. You're by far the most unique person I have ever met." I was surprised at Tristin's words.  
"Thanks."  
"Don't thank me, it's you that's unique." Tristin said quietly averting his eyes to Crystal, who was now playing with another little girl.  
I opened my mouth to say something but nothing came out. So, I closed it. Tristin was really being nice for a change.  



	5. Swirls

Chapter Five   
Swirls  
"Sweet or sour?" Tristin turned to me.  
"What?"  
"We're playing the this or that game."  
"Since when?"  
"Since I started. We can take turns. So sweet or sour?"  
"Sweet. Ice cream or pudding?"  
"Ice cream. Duh, who chooses pudding anyway."  
"There are people that choose pudding."  
"Okay, whatever. Night or day?"  
"Definitely night. Uh, beach or the mountains?"  
Tristin smirked. "Beach, I mean all those girls in those little-"  
I hit him. "Too much information."  
"Okay, Coke or Pepsi?"  
"Coke. Chocolate chip or Oreo?"  
"Oreo, pizza or fries?"  
"Fries. Theater, drive-in or at home?"  
"That's three things."  
"Yeah, so?"  
"You can't do that."  
"Why not?"  
"Because we're playing this or that not this, this or that. And they are my rules because it's my game."  
" Answer the question. Please... pretty please?"  
"Okay, at home. Gold or silver?"  
"Silver. Um...chocolate or vanilla?"  
"Swirl."  
"I'm sorry that was not a choice."  
"But I like swirl! I love swirl, it's chocolate and vanilla. Please Rory." Tristin pouted.  
"Fine weirdo. I think you broke your own rules."  
"One of the rules is that Tristin can break any rule."  
"Whatever." I rolled my eyes. " Do you want ice cream?"  
"Sure." Tristin got up. "Let me tell Christina to keep an eye on Crystal."  
  



	6. Quite the Meeting...I Guess

Chapter Six   
Quite the Meeting...I Guess   
  
Tristin and I were walking back to the park   
"Is Stars Hollow always like this?" Tristin asked quietly.   
I couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, it is." I licked my ice vanilla cream cone while trying to hold Crystal's cone steady.   
"I mean everyone's staring at us."   
"They're trying to get to know you. Get the 411 on ya and then gossip." I saw Miss Patty hiding behind her barn doors.   
We walked in silence for a while.   
"Worse than the Chilton hotline?" Tristin asked. It took me a minute to register what was he was talking about.   
"Oh yea, much worse." I said slowly while eating my ice cream.   
"All little slow there, Ror." Tristin chuckled.   
"Yeah," I nodded as we reached the park entrance.   
"So, I'm gonna go give this to Tina and uh yea." Tristin pointed to Christina...Tina's direction.   
"Okay?" I laughed. I turned and headed for the sandbox. There waiting was Crystal bouncing up and down.   
"Did you get me ice cweam?"   
"Yes, I got you ice cream." I handed her the slightly melting strawberry ice cream.   
Crystal's eyes lit up when she saw the ice cream. "Thank you."   
"Your welcome." I turned around to sit at a bench and saw Lane walking towards me.   
"Lane! How was camp?"   
"It was great. Guess who I saw?" Lane was grinning from ear to ear, literally.   
I smiled, it wasn't hard to figure out. "Henry."   
"Yes! We hung out like the whole time."   
"I'd believe so." Actually I know so...I mean they're so cute together.   
"Hey, you must be Lane." Tristin said walking up to us.   
"You...you know who I am?"   
"Oh, yeah...you see Henry talks about you in his sleep." Tristin told Lane.   
Lane turned red. "He does not."   
Tristin winked at me. "I know he does."   
"Okay...so you go to Chilton huh?"   
Tristin nodded, "Yeah, I'm Tristin."   
Lane's jaw dropped. "You're Tristin?"   
"Yeah."   
"And you're hanging out with him?" Lane asked me.   
"Well...uh...yea I guess." I said.   
"Excuse us for a moment." Lane said pulling me aside. "Why didn't you tell me Tristin was hot?"   
"I didn't tell you because he is not hot." To someone else he can be hot but no, not me.   
"Rory."   
"He's cute, I guess."   
"And you never told me be that because?"   
"You're not supposed to think that the person that made your life a living hell, cute or hot or anything like that."   
Lane looked at her watch. "I'll call you tonight. Bye Tristin."   
"Bye." Tristin waved.   
"Bye." Lane waved to me heading home.   
"Bye." I waved back.   
"So that was Lane huh?" Tristin asked finishing off his cone.   
"That was Lane." I agreed taking a bite into the cone.   
"Quite the meeting."   
"I guess." I shrugged. 


End file.
